In recent years, there has been considerable improvement in the area of pulsed power research, which involves the storing, shaping, and performance of high energy density capacitors used in pulsed power applications. These pulsed power applications may require extremely high discharges of voltage and current. For example, discharges of high voltages in the 10 kV or more range and high current in the 150 kA or more range have been proposed. Historically, high-energy electrical devices for pulsed power applications have been limited to a single discharge. Any subsequent discharges would require a time-intensive rebuilding and replacement of components before a second high energy discharge could take place. Repeatability of high energy discharges in the high power range in a short amount of time has been considered difficult or impossible to achieve based upon the extreme environment created by such discharges.
Not only are new designs needed for multiple large pulses of power in a short time period, but further secondary challenges presented by possible design solutions also must be overcome. One such challenge is how to effectively monitor the components utilized to provide these discharges, especially if certain components, such as fuses, limit the number of discharges the device can provide before replacement is needed.
Specifically, if a cascading fuse and switch design were to be used, how to monitor the operational status of the fuses or switches utilized would be problematic. Such monitoring is important to ensure that fuses are functional and fully intact given the extreme environment that electronics in such a device might be faced. Further, remotely monitoring the device is desired in order to provide an operator a safe environment, especially if the discharge device is in a difficult to access location. Accordingly, a sensor or indicator in such a device is needed which would not be damaged by large pulses of power and would not cause an operator to be subjected to high voltage when investigating the status of the internal fuses and switches.
Therefore, what is needed is an indicator for a switch and fuse device which overcomes deficiencies of the past, and which enables effective monitoring of fuses or switches that protect electronics from multiple, high-voltage, high-current discharges of pulsed power.